OBJECTIVES: By means of flow and static cytometry determine effects of other DNA antimetabolites (such as hydroxyurea) and antimitotic poisons (such as vincristine) on: a) the cell kinetics and the progression of cells through the cycle, b) chromatin organization in situ, c) protein and RNA synthesis and d) colony morphology. This study will be conducted in parallel with autoradiography using synchronized and drug exposed HeLa cells at various time intervals following mitosis. Using multiparameter flow microfluorimetry and optimal staining conditions, continue and further optimize the prescreening of cervical smears and initiate a similar approach for non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Determine the physical-chemical properties of chromatin isolated from cells in different phases of the cell cycle of normal and abnormal cell lines, and possible changes in protein synthesis and enzymatic modification to devise alternative target in cancer chemotherapy. Characterize, both in situ and isolated, the alterations occurring in chromatin isolated from rat liver cells at 0, 3, 11, 18 and 24 hours following partial hepatectomy. By means of supravital fluorescence probes, sort homogeneous cycling and noncycling melanoma B16 cells (with same DNA contents) and determine their growth responses in culture under various nutritional conditions and also in the presence of various cyclic nucleotides. Develop further algorithms for analysis of nuclear DNA space in situ by means of cross-correlation, and fast Fourier transform algorithms applied to digitized images at various phases in the cell cycle.